andiesenji

I just found a 6 liter one made by Supentown and very inexpensive - one reviewer noted the bottom of the inner pot was extremely thin. Probably the reason it is so cheap. I've also found a couple of older blogs about thermal cooking with mentions of the Nissan/Thermos Shuttle Chef Thermal Cooker The Tiger Thermal Cooker Endo Thermal Magic Mr. D's and in Australia the "Eco Pot" There are cooks who make everything from soup to cakes and breads in these thermal cookers - with the caveat that breads and cakes do not brown. Interesting. Thermal Cooking Weblog Thermall cook blog

I do have to confess that when it looked like they were going to discontinue the black beluga lentils in the microwave heat bag, I bought a bunch. I also buy the seasonal stuff when they are closing it out. (The peeled chestnuts in the microwave heat bags, for instance.) TJ's has some super good bargains when they have closeouts - the discounts are deep and the use by dates are usually far in the future.

Thermos did market something similar a few years ago but it was quite expensive, as I recall and I don't think it was widely distributed.

A long time ago I signed up for Zojirushi's monthly email newsletter and yesterday's edition of "Zojirushi 101" featured these Thermal Cookers. Last year I was doing some "research" into these cookers but at that time the Zo was not sold in the U.S. and the only web sites I could find had only Japanese text. A friend who lives at Mammoth just got one and is going to try heating the inner chamber in his solar cooker to save on gas for cooking things that need extending cooking times. (While they have had a tremendous amount of storms and snow, they do have sunny days and at altitude the solar cooker is very efficient.) Propane has become very expensive in the area, part of the reason is the transport fees added onto the cost of the propane. After reading about the rolling blackouts in Japan, and the possibility of that happening here, after a big quake, I thought that this type of cooker might be of significant use when sources of heat were limited. Has anyone had any experience with them. I did an advanced search for "thermal cooker" and did not get any results.

Ditto! But I am often taking things to other people so I do go through them fairly rapidly. I can't say as I "hoard" any of the ones that come with foods in them, my supplies of plastic containers are purchased. Again, Ditto! I'm really not sure just how many sets of "china" I have. I have antique sets I inherited and sets that I have acquired during the past 50+ years. I have seasonal sets that are brought out for a particular season of the year. Most are packed away and are rotated out for use every few years. I don't consider it "hoarding" per se., I consider it collecting. As far as hoarding foods go, I have sufficient canned goods to see me through a siege and/or a severe earthquake aftermath. I have enough hot sauce of various brands to light up a small city, but again, that is not hoarding, that is "collecting". As long as you are not sleeping with several hundred cans with no labels under your bed, I don't think you are hoarding. (This was recently on the local news - an elderly man in Lake Los Angeles.) Now that's hoarding!

I have a bunch of cookbooks now on my Kindle and to keep it clean in the kitchen I put it in a plastic freezer bag - Ziplock or similar and hang it at eye level wherever I am working. The plastic is thin enough to allow the buttons to be operated even with a wet or sticky finger. The Jumbo Hefty bags (2 1/2 gal) fit the IPad and similar type instruments. Hint: They are much cheaper at Walmart.

I've always liked her, her methods and her enthusiasm for cooking. There are many of her show demos that have certainly shown me a thing or to. Speaking of the puff pastry "tricks," on a show several years ago she did baked apples with rounds of the puff pastry in the bottom of a baking dish with the cored apples, filled with a cinnamon/sugar/butter/pecan mixture sitting on top of the PP rounds. The addition of the pastry to the baked apples is brilliant. I have modified the mixture from time to time, adding some chopped candied ginger or some dried cranberries, etc.

So wait: now that Time has announced that Bacon Is Dead, is bacon cool again? I'm confused. There are a great many people who will take up bacon again simply BECAUSE Time says it is "dead" or whatever their point. I've seen several local restaurants resurrect some old dishes, such as jalapenos stuffed with cheese and wrapped with bacon and bacon-wrapped salmon that disappeared from the menu at one place only to reappear a couple of months later because of so many customers requests. And they have added bacon-wrapped "spring" asparagus bundles! Out here on the left coast, we don't pay much attention to Time.

It wouldn't work for me as a sub for parchment. I use a lot of it and buy it online in 500 sheet packs, for 1/2 size sheet pans for 35.95 and free shipping. I buy the foil wrap at Smart & Final - big roll, inexpensive when compared to the small boxes, but there's a big box that is in the pantry for years.

I got it on my Kindle a while back but haven't prepared anything from it. I scanned through it and really didn't see much that was different from my favorite tea cookbook; Cooking with Tea by Robert Wemischner and Diana Rosen. I have been cooking from this one for a decade. I also have Eat Tea but I like the Wemischner/Rosen book better. I can't begin to guess how many times I have prepared the Tea-smoked trout. Fresh water fish is fine for me - I just have a problem with ocean fish. This gives trout that something extra. Also the pork tenderloin with prunes and apples. Eat Tea was sort of redone and reissued as Tea Cuisine - Joanna Pruess and John Harney (of Harney & Sons Tea merchants) in 2006 but it is essentially the same as the 2001 book.

Today's Gear Patrol dispatch included this item for those who might imbibe too much. I don't drink but there have been a few mentions of morning after effects here on the forum so I thought I would pass the info along.

Bacon is not always "bacon" - at least to some folks from other countries. What we know as "bacon" here in the US is streaky bacon in the UK. A friend, whose mother is visiting from England (Norfolk) was decrying the fatty bacon available in our local supermarkets. I found this, Peameal Back Bacon posted on another forum by a Toronto, CA expat, printed it out and yesterday they made a pilgrimage to Bristol Farms Market (very upscale grocery store) in South Pasadena and came home with four packages of it. I have been promised a hunk when they cut into it tomorrow. Today they are spending the day at Universal City. In my opinion this is probably a noble end for a pork loin. I recall seeing an earlier thread about doing this at home but haven't looked for it. I love bacon in all its manifestations - long may it reign!

I was born and raised in a family (extended) that held fast to the British tradition of a hearty breakfast which would overwhelm most people today. My grandfather, his brothers and my uncles were all out of the house and working on the farm, starting about 4:00 A.M. Around seven or so they came in for breakfast and they sat in the kitchen, around a huge table and had meats, eggs, biscuits and cornbread, potatoes, grits, porridge, grilled tomatoes and occasionally smoked fish. And strong tea, although some did take coffee. Around eight, the women in the house, my great grandmother, my grandmother, my aunts and great aunts had breakfast in the "breakfast room" just off the kitchen so they wouldn't have to listen to the men talk about breeding horses and cows, the price of corn and oats and how they were going to clean the stumps from a new field. On Sundays the men were expected to have their breakfast with the women. So the cultural standards with which I grew up were those of English people who moved to and adopted some of the foods of the south and incorporated them into their own culture and passed it on. When I first saw Gosford Park, I sat in the theater and watched the breakfast scene and it seemed so familiar to me that I remarked on it to my companion. The clothes were a decade or so prior to my experience but it was very close.

Some dishwasher detergents contain "micro" abrasives that will scratch the finish, both inside and out. You might not see them but with a microscope they look like craters. The enamel finish will craze over time and may chip. In any event, the finish will be dull and unattractive and it will be difficult to get the bottom clean if you have any burnt or scorched food. I recently tossed one that had been around for some time and while the crazing did not show up immediately, after the pot had been stored for some time, there was an all over web of what looked like rust along the craze lines. Too bad I didn't take a photo. It was red on the outside and white on the interior and I don't remember the maker. I have a Chantal pot that is dishwasher friendly and has been around for many years with none of this crazing effect.

I'm amazed that this item exists. It sort of changes the premise of my inquiry. I've been lusting after one for some time but as yet Electrolux is not selling that exact model in the US. They have been tiptoeing around it for three years or so. Pacific Sales has a long list of folks who are interested (me included) but while they carry the entire line of Electrolux appliances, they tell me this one has not yet been configured for US sales. A friend who lives in South Africa has had one for a couple of years and I am so envious.

In December 2005 I purchased Olive Trees and Honey and it is still one of my favorite cookbooks. It's not just vegetables but includes legumes, grains and pasta but vegetables are the stars of so many of the dishes. Last summer when my eggplants were producing heavily, I prepared several of the recipes - there are around fifteen, not counting spreads and use as a filling. There are several wonderful cauliflower recipes. The Zucchini, leek and cheese casserole is so much more than the sum of its parts. You can check inside the book/the index here. Scroll down half way on the page. I have a number of vegetarian and vegan friends, as well as friends who keep kosher or halal and I am on pretty safe ground cooking from this cookbook for almost anyone.

Ooooh. I'll have to dig out my 1960s era rice cookbook that was my go-to thing for PTA potlucks. One was a spicy "confetti" rice in a sausage "crown" that had rice with pineapple and I think red bell peppers and something spicy in a deep casserole dish that had brats, grilled and cut in half, standing around the sides with the rice in the center. Everyone loved it and it was rather pretty. I always had to prepare two because my husband and his two sons could finish one all by themselves. I think I served it with mango chutney on the side.

In my experience the "luxury" trade is always there but they do not always select ranges because of newer technology, but because of so-called "status" or whatever you want to call it, For consumers who can't justify spending a lot of money on a range or ovens and cooktops, they have to settle for what they can afford. When these new things come onto the market they are often priced out of the reach of most consumers. I got my first microwave - the Amana Radarange - in 1967 and it cost $500. and at that time you could buy a new car for $3000. For several years I had a commercial gas convection oven (Blodgett). However I had also made a provision for electric ovens if needed. When I had the kitchen addition done, I had a new electric panel and separate circuits dedicated so if I ever wanted to add electric ovens I could. It's cheaper to do it ahead of time instead of having to add on and re-wire later. Not all people want the newest technology, some want the more traditional cooking methods, which can be much more expensive. A friend who lives in Mammoth has an AGA that is also an auxiliary heating unit for part of the house. Another friend who lives in Malibu recently did a kitchen reno and now has an enormous La Cornue range that has two ovens, one gas and one electric. Its also got regular gas burners, a "French" top a gas grill and electric burners. I saw it only a month ago but can't recall the exact configuration. She doesn't cook, she has a live-in housekeeper/cook but loves to show off the new kitchen and talks as if she were in there all the time. You can buy a luxury car for what that range cost. But it sure is pretty. She calls it "Bahama Blue" because it is the color of the ocean around the Bahamas. Frankly, to me it looks like the aqua that was popular in the 50s and early 60s. Incidentally, her cook is not all that thrilled with the new range. She was perfectly happy with the "old" (6 years) Viking range and knew how it worked. A technician had to spend several days showing her how to use the La Cornue range - it is not intuitive. I like new technology but I seldom buy the newest thing to appear. I wait for the bugs to be worked out and get the second or third generation. With the Radarange, I had wanted one for a couple of years but the first ones were huge and cost close to 3K and I couldn't see spending that much. The Amana seemed like a bargain, plus they sent a woman out to teach me how to use it.

I like the flavor it adds to bland cereals (oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Malt O Meal, etc.) and to rice dishes. I like the texture it adds to yogurt and smoothies, which I really don't like all that "smooth" - I want some texture. I have been known to sit with a very small dish of the toasted wheatgerm, eating a banana, dipping the banana into the wheatgerm between bites. (One of my "sneaky" pleasures.) I like it sprinkled on top of mac and cheese during the final ten minutes of baking. I find a lot of ways to use it, which is how I manage to use up a jar more rapidly than most people do.

First they make the can content smaller then they raise the price, The size of the can remains the same. I've been checking prices for many, many years and this has been a long-term process. I think it is designed to fool the public who do not always read the labels. Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup used to contain 12 ounces, now it is 10 1/2. I have an old Campbell's recipe book that states to use a 12-ounce can of the Cheddar Cheese Soup in a particular recipe. That's just one instance of the sneaky changes.

Most grocery stores display PPU cost in small print next to the total price. Just sayin. Unfortunately these signs are not always accurate and not up to date. In one local mega supermarket the same PPU cost shelf edge clips remained the same for months while there were several price increases making the PPU totally unreliable.

I haven't used the Cuisinart so can't comment on them. I've a friend who has a Viking 7 quart stand mixer and likes it but doesn't knead heavy or stiff doughs in it, she kneads these by hand. I phoned and asked if she had tried stiff dough in it and said she didn't by choice but had mixed some fairly stiff cookie dough in it during her holiday baking sessions. No problems. Another friend replaced a 25-year-old Kenwood Chef with a new one (made by DeLonghi) and is very unhappy with it. He says it does not have the power of the old one, in spite of supposedly having a higher wattage (1000 watt). He says it stalls when kneading danish dough, which is fairly stiff and was a bust at mixing thick cookie doughs. He does have a commercial mixer that has more capacity than he usually needs but has had to use it for cookie doughs. He is currently looking for a refurbished Kenwood Chef made prior to 1995.

My local middle eastern store carries Lurpak butter at a price comparable to Challenge, which they also carry. 3.78 a pound for the Challenge. Trader Joe's used to carry Lurpak. I usually make my own butter but if I don't feel like it I buy the Kerrygold at TJ's as it is cheaper there than in other markets.

They are really easy to grow in pots. I had 4 plants in each of 4 extra large pots, they do need support so I used tall tomato cages, and I had lots of peppers until late in the fall. I had red, yellow, orange, purple and "white" and they were very pretty. Mine got to be about 4 inches long and 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter at maturity. And they were very, very sweet.

I am extremely annoyed by this entire process. I have many recipes that used canned ingredients. One old one, from the 1960s, calls for a "30 ounce can of whole tomatoes" There is no such thing available nowadays. Or a 16 ounce can of whatever. I remember when a pound of coffee was an actual pound and not 12 ounces. The cans are essentially the same size, just the contents have shrunk. A few years ago there was a long diatribe in the New York Times about this very subject and I agreed with it 100%. Marketers are sneaky and underhanded and jack up prices for no more reason that they know they can get away with it. It's not the end retailer to blame, their profit margins remain the same. It is the producers, these multi-national overlords, raking in unprecedented profits and crying for more tax breaks when they don't pay any taxes to begin with. Sorry for the rant but I'm just about had it up to my eyebrows with these cheating tactics which burden poor people so much.